Crane's Final Flight
by Ivypool2005
Summary: I hope you like my story!


"Reed! Reed!" Asha burst out of the swampy undergrowth. "Where are the rest of your sibs? You'll need as many dragons as possible!"

"Pheasant and Sora are out hunting. They"ll be coming back any minute now. Asha, can you please just tell me what's going on?"

"The IceWings attacked our camp! Oh, it was terrible! They've already killed one of our sibs! Cattail didn't want me to leave, but I just had to warn you!"

"It's okay, Asha. Calm down. We'll come help you as soon as we can. You've done enough for now." Asha nodded and flew away.

Crane and Marsh circled the area around their camp, searching for any sign of movement. Soon enough, they were bringing Pheasant and Sora back to camp, each of them carrying a bird. When they got back, Reed and Umber were ready to go. Together, they launched into the air in the direction of the battle.

As soon as they reached the other side of the delta, Reed took charge. "We have to stick together. You shouldn't fight any dragons bigger than you; I don't want any fatalities in our first battle. We must protect each other at all costs."

And with a flick of Reed's tail, they dove onto the battlefield.

Sora always tried to do what Reed said. But sometimes it was hard. Like when Asha was fighting a dragon almost twice her size. Like when the queen was tackling two IceWings at once. Like when absolutely no one wanted to fight six dragonets out in the open, just waiting to be attacked. It was insulting, really.

So she'd wandered away and somehow found herself pinned under the talons of a grinning IceWing.

Sora knew she wasn't strong enough to escape, so she went limp in the IceWing's claws. "Hmph. I wonder if she's trying to trick me. Probably not. MudWings aren't known for their brains, anyway." She released one talon off of Sora's shoulder. Wait for the right moment. The IceWing turned back to call to one of her friends. NOW! Sora reared up, hurling herself at her opponent with all the strength in her body. She fought to hang on as they tumbled across the muddy terrain. When they finally stopped rolling, the IceWing was on top. Sora's eyes darted from the left to the right, then to the left again. This was a trick Pheasant had made up to confuse your attacker. Left, right, left, right. Her eyes finally stopped on her left, then she rolled to the right, out of the IceWing's grasp. She clawed at any part of the dragon she could reach; wings, legs, belly, even her face. It was a while before she remembered to use real moves. She bore down on the IceWing, driving her back towards another group of MudWings, probably Cattail's. But as she got closer, she realized that she did not know these dragons. She'd never seen them around the camp. Oh, no. Panic flooded through her. Where was Reed? She looked behind her, straining her eyes. There they were, five tiny shapes in the distance. In the heat of battle, they hadn't noticed she was gone.

The IceWing noticed her distraction and used it to her advantage. In less than two seconds, she had Sora pinned. She opened her mouth to deliver the freezing breath that would end Sora's life. She screamed. She closed her eyes. Soon it would be over. And then -

Sora! Crane's head snapped up. Another yell echoed across the plain. She's in danger! Crane disarmed her opponent with a mighty swipe; he was a dragonet barely Umber's size. She flew as fast as she could towards the sound. There they were! An IceWing in the distance leaned over her sister. I'm coming for you. I'm coming.

Time slowed down as she dived down towards the figures, one brown, one ice-blue. As she reached them, she saw the blast of frostbreath exit the IceWing's mouth...

And slammed into Sora's side just before it touched her scales.

But it was not over.

The frostbreath did not stop when its target was pushed away. It kept going, going, going... towards its new target.

Crane felt a chill run through her body. She collapsed to the ground. Her vision went black around the edges. "Retreat!" she heard Queen Glacier shout. She smiled. My sibs are safe. That's all that matters.

Then she lay back and closed her eyes for the last time.


End file.
